This past weekend Cascades Park hosted the second annual Word of South music and literature festival in Tallahassee, featuring a variety of musicians and authors in an attempt to illustrate the relationship between the two art forms. With the exception of a few performances, Word of South was free for all ages.

Compared to most other music festival the atmosphere at Word of South was relaxed, as attendants roamed casually around the venue from stage to stage. There were six stages at the venue, each with its own unique environment. Stages designated for literature were small and provided an intimate setting for writers and their audience. The music stages were situated around natural features of the park, designed with open layouts so spectators can come and go without disturbing the performances.

The Word of South lineup included solo musicians, bands, ensembles, writers, and collaboration acts of authors and musicians. The lineup featured several members of the FSU literature and creative writing faculty, including Erin Belieu, Brandi George, Adam Johnson, Diane Roberts, Bob Shacochis and Wayne A. Wiengand.

“This is a wonderful event that puts Tallahassee on the map,” said poet Erin Belieu. “Not many people realize how Tallahassee is such a literary town, but Word of South helps people to discover different types of literature.”

Notable musical acts include Tallahassee resident George Clinton, bluegrass group Chatham County Line and Houston ten-piece ensemble The Suffers.

“This is our first time in Florida, we just got in to Tallahassee a couple hours ago,” lead vocalist and bassist of Texas-based band Blue Healer David Beck told me as he ate a sandwich before the band’s set.

“We really love the canopies over the roads here," fellow bandmate Dees Stirbling said of his first impressions of Tallahassee. "We wish we could stay longer.” The rest of the band agreed.

Tallahassee was the third stop for the band on a two-month tour with over thirty shows.

“We had all played in other bands before, but we formed Blue Healer in January of 2015. We should have our first full length album out in a few months”, Beck said.

Despite the band’s young age, the Blue Healers played South by Southwest in 2016 and are well connected in the Texas music scene.

Blue Healers’ performance consisted of David Beck playing the guitar and upright bass, Bryan Mammel playing an analog synthesizer and keyboard and Dees Stirbling on the drums. All the band members provided vocals for the performance. What stuck out to me the most was the use of an upright bass with heavy distortion. I am used to hearing acoustic upright basses, but this instrument had foam stuffed in the f-holes and was modified with electric pickups. Overall, the tone of the performance was a new variation of the familiar indie-rock sound. The distorted bass lines and synthesized melodies gave the Blue Healers a unique sound and provided a memorable performance for the audience.

After their set, Blue Healers expressed interest in returning to Tallahassee to play Club Downunder someday.

Word of South allowed for collaboration between music and literature. It also showcased some amazing local talent and looks poised to grow in terms of quality and production for years to come.